Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to travel to Oman on Saturday to discuss the Strait of Hormuz and broader regional developments, a source familiar with the matter told CNN Friday.
Iranian state media IRNA has also reported that Araghchi will travel to Oman on Saturday along with a diplomatic delegation, particularly to discuss the situation in the strait.
The expected visit comes as interlocutors try to revive the faltering diplomatic process. On Friday, US President Donald Trump again declared that the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is “over,” but said talks with Iran would continue.
Meanwhile, Araghchi accused the United States of violating a clause on Tehran’s nuclear program in their MoU.
“Iran has so far kept its word, unlike the so-called U.S. Treasury Secretary who is violating Para 9 of the MoU,” he wrote in a post on X early Saturday local time.
The ninth paragraph states that pending the final deal, Iran will “maintain the current status quo of its nuclear program” and that the US will “not impose any new sanctions and will not deploy additional forces in the region.”
Iran’s chief negotiator also said Tehran is prepared for “all-out defense” if the United States breaks the MoU.
“We are distrustful of the Americans. During the negotiations, I made it clear to the US vice president that we have no trust in you,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Friday.
The Strait of Hormuz – which runs between Iran and Oman, with their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) meeting in the middle – has emerged as the key stumbling block to the ceasefire, as Iran has continued to assert control over parts of the key waterway and fired on ships earlier this week. In response, the US launched days of military strikes on Iranian targets.
Although US officials have said Iran cannot control the strait, the MoU does not explicitly spell that out. Instead, it is ambiguous, calling for Iran to “make arrangements… for the safe passage of commercial vessels” and engage with Oman “to define the future administration” of the waterway.
CNN’s Rhea Mogul, Eyad Kourdi and Mitchell McCluskey contributed reporting.